The New York Empire Competes on Its Home Turf in the Longines Global Champions Tour

Test
Sep 30
3 min read

Updated: Oct 1

Warren Rosenberg, MetroSports Magazine September 2025

Twenty-four miles separate the UBS Arena in Queens, NY, from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ, yet on the final weekend of summer 2025, the two sporting events taking place at these sites couldn’t be more closely united. Both featured human and animal athletes, the animals being bovine in Queens and equine in Jersey City.

While the New York Mavericks of the Professional Bull Riders hosted their annual buck-off at the UBS Arena pitting human riders against 1,800 pound bucking bulls, the New York Empire equestrian jumping team competed at Liberty State Park in the Longines Global Champions Tour.

Above: Eleven year old Zara Mcguigan & her pony “Hulst Summer” winners of the Longines Global Champions Tour Pony Class. Photo credit - Stefano Grasso LCGT

The Longines Global Champions League (GCL) Tour is the ultimate individual show jumping championship series featuring the world’s top riders and horses in top-level competitions around the globe. The series travels to 16 spectacular events in 2025, from the stunning opening event in Doha, Qatar, through to the finals taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with in-between stops in Austria, France, London, Mexico, Monaco, Spain, and New York among other international sites.

Above: More views of the NYC background as seen from the GCL course at Liberty State Park. Photo credit - Stefano Grasso LCGT

On the weekend of September 19-21, the GCL lit up Liberty State Park as the championship returned to the city that never sleeps for the first time since 2022. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Manhattan’s iconic skyline and the Statue of Liberty, Stage 12 of the tour unfolded under glorious late-summer sunshine, with the very best riders and horses in the world converging on a brand-new venue. The energy of New York coursed through every round and famous faces including Bruce Springsteen and New York Empire team owner Georgina Bloomberg were on hand to witness the drama.

Above: Bruce Springsteen (far right) and his daughter, rider Jessica Springsteen next to him, enjoying the competition. Photo credit - Stefano Grasso LCGT

Under the leadership of team owner Georgina Bloomberg, a visionary in the world of show jumping and a passionate supporter of the sport, New York Empire, powered by Lugano Diamonds, a jewelry store in Greenwich CT, made their homecoming with a squad full of horsepower, grit and determination. Georgina was on site standing firmly behind her riders as they battled for a coveted podium finish on home soil. For New York Empire, this was more than a competition – it was a chance to perform in front of their home fans, with the Statue of Liberty watching over.

One of the riders competing for the NY Empire was Ireland’s Dennis Lynch who was aboard the 16 year old gelding, Brooklyn Heights in one of the rounds. At the halfway point through Round 1, the NY Empire were in third place. But, for home team New York Empire, the hope of a fairytale home result slipped away when Trevor Breen and his horse, Highland President, rolled two rails in Round 2, despite Denis Lynch’s single error in Round 1 keeping them in early contention. However, a lightning fast clear from Scott Brash upon Chadora Lady left them just outside the top five overall.

Although not riding for the NY Empire, several of the international competitors called the USA home and included the riders Natalie Dean, Jessica Springsteen, Jessica Leto, Kristen Vanderveen, Spencer Smith, Carly Anthony, Mimi Gochman, and Alexandra Worthington.

Jessica Springsteen returned with her LGCT Grand Prix-winning partner Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, Spencer Smith brings his top mount HHS Seattle, while Natalie Dean and Mimi Gochman bolster the Stars and Stripes’ presence on home soil. Adding a heartfelt storyline, Nayel Nassar makes his return to the Longines Global Champions Tour following the birth of his children with his wife Jennifer Gates, Bill Gates’ granddaughter, a physician trained at NYC’s Ichan School of Medicine, bringing with him a wave of excitement and support.